Concrete mixing machine



y 1938. J. R. WILLIAM 2,119,144

CONCRETE MIXING MACHINE Filed Nov. 27, 1937 ATIIORNEY.

Patented May 31, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONCRETE MIXING MACHINE Application November 27, 1937, Serial No. 176,795

14 Claims.

The improvements relate to means for controlling the measured flow of water from a water tank into a concrete mixing machine, and more particularly to the operation and correlation of the said control mechanism. Specifically, the improvements relate to hydraulic operation and control of such means and to certain mechanical connections pertinent thereto, but pneumatic or mechanical operation may be used.

The objects of the improvements include the provision of means for, operating the hydraulic control of the water valve concurrently or in synchronism with the loading and loader charging operations, but without any operative or other connection with the loading means, or at the will of the operator, as he may desire, and of means for effectively disconnecting the mechanism for facilitating synchronism, in order to permit operation of said system by hand or prevent its untimely operation. Further and incidental objects and advantages of the improvements appear in connection with the following description in which the accompanying drawing is referred to.

In the drawing, the figure is a side perspective view of a water discharge control mechanism embodying the improvements.

The construction and operation of the water operating mechanism, as herein shown, is exemplary, and may be varied within certain limits without departing from the scope of the present improvements which may be embodied in apparatus of this character of various constructions and arrangements. The details of the pump, tank and valves for generating pressure and controlling the movement of the fluid by which pressure is communicated to the mechanism operated and controlled thereby and of the said controlled mechanism are well known and may also be varied, and therefore need not be described in detail. These parts are made by various manufacturers and are common to the art. Hydraulic operating control apparatus for other parts of the concrete mixing and distributing machine are also shown and described in the copending application of John P. Faber, Serial No. 137,192, filed April 16, 1937, to which reference may be had.

In the drawing l represents a skip hoist clutch lever which is pulled forward in order that a clutch for a loading skip carrying the dry aggregates of the concrete may be closed and the skip raised by suitable power means and the said aggregates dumped into the drum of the mixing machine. Means for accomplishing the raising and lowering of the skip and for connecting such means with the skip are not a part of this invention and therefore are not shown. Upon pulling forward the skip hoist lever l to a predetermined point said lever comes in contact with the arm 2' of the T-shaped rocking member 2 mounted on bar 5, and said member is thus rocked in the direction in which said skip hoist lever is pulled. The lever is so positioned with respect to the arm 2' that the end of its clutch engaging movements will move said arm, or an extra movement may be necessary to accomplish this as desired. The member 2 and its web 3 are integral with the collar 4, which in turn is loosely mounted on the bar 5 and held in place thereon by the cotter pin 6 so that its rotary movement is unrestricted. At the junction of the upright and horizontal portions of member 2 there is afiixed a pin bolt 8 to receive a hook 9 on a hollow internally threaded shank 'l.

The hook 9 is rigidly secured to the rod It threaded therein which communicates with the outer part of the valve lever extension l2 by means of a pin ll passing through one of the holes I2, which provides adjustment. As the rod ID has its ends threaded into the shank of the hook 9 and of the fork 20, the length of this connection can be adjusted by rotating the said rod.

I3 is the valve operating lever which actuates' the rod 14 by means of the leverage it exerts when it turns on the pivot I la, and the said rod operates the usual valve controlling the transmission of fluid pressure to a hydraulic cylinder 24, through the pipes I6 and H, by which the valves 25 and 26 of the water tank 21 are moved to open or closed position according to whether the valve lever is pushed forward or pulled backwards.

I8 is the skip hoist brake lever which is thrown forward when the skip hoist has been raised to a dumping position and the skip hoist clutch lever l is moved forward to release the hoisting clutch (not shown). The drawing forward of the skip hoist brake lever 18 causes it to move further away from the arm 2" of the member 2 and said member is not therefore rocked thereby in the direction of travel of the brake lever I8.

In practice the operation of the mechanism is as follows. The operator grasps the skip hoist lever I and pulls it forward to actuate the skip hoist clutch and cause the power mechanism to raise the skip into dumping position. When the lever is pulled forward it strikes the arm 2' of the member 2 so as to move this member 2 forward in the direction of travel of the said lever, which istoward the operator standing on platform 28. When the member 2 is rocked forward by the skip hoist lever striking it, the hook 9 is moved forward likewise, and through its connection with the rod Hi and the: extension l2 serves to pull forward the said valve lever extension which forces the rod [4 backward, thus opening a valve in the valve body 2| and causing liquid under pressure to move through the pipe I! to the hydraulic cylinder 24 which operates to open the valve of the water tank at a distant point, and causes the said tank to discharge a measured quantity of water into the mixer (not shown) through a discharge pipe 29.

When the skip has reachedits dumping position the skip hoist clutch lever I is thrown out and the brake with its lever I8 is thrown on, and

on being thrown on the brake lever 18 moves forward and away from the arm 2 of the member 2, which must later be moved in a direction opposite to that of the movement which caused the water valve to be opened, for the purpose of closing the discharge valve 25, opening the filling valve 26 and refilling the tank, said motion causing pressure to be transmitted to the hydraulic cylinder through the pipe l6 and moving the usual plunger in the cylinder in a direction opposite to that of the movement which opened the said water discharge valve. The operator is permitted to ease off the skip brake by pushing the brake lever backward to a limited extent, thus permitting the skip to descend under control, without bringing the said lever into contact with the arm 2" and thus operating the tank filling water valve, due to a spacing of the lever and arm to permit said movement of the former. Adjustable screw bolts 22 and 23 are mounted on the levers l8 and l respectively for contact with the arms of the member 2, so that the spacing of the parts and the resulting free motion of the levers may be accurately adjusted.

Should the operator of the machine wish to disconnect the automatic water valve operating means, it is the work of but a moment for him to disconnect the rod Ill by removing the hook 9 from the pin 8. In this event it will be necessary for the operator to operate the water valve man-' ually by means of the lever l3. This provision also permits the operator to raise the skip for the purpose of dumping any material not discharged from the skip on its first dumping operation, even after the skip has descended to the ground if necessary or desired without operating the water tank. When the skip has been lowered to the ground the brake lever can be pushed backward until the brake is fully released, so that the brake will not interfere with the next skip elevating operation, and it must be moved back beyond this brake releasing position to move the member 2 through the arm 2" so as to cause closing of the tank discharge valve and refilling of the tank.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the improvements provide means for the simple and quick operation of the water supply in synchronism with the supply of dry aggregates through the medium of a hydraulic actuation and control of the former, but without making the operation of the one dependent, either directly or indirectly, upon the actuation of the other, and for the precise adjustment of the connecting means to insure accurate coordination. They also provide means for quickly and easily converting the supplementary operation to entirely separated operation by independent operating means and vice versa, and also for the independent operation of the skip control instrumentalities while the water control is arranged for single control operation.

What I claim is:

1. In apparatus of the character indicated in combination with means actuating a loading device and for returning the same to load receiving position and means for discharging water into a mixing drum or the like, a clutch operating lever for the loading device operating mechanism and a brake operating lever for said device, means for actuating said water discharge means, communicating means between the first two instrumentalities and the third comprising a movable member in the path of said levers and adapted to be contacted by the clutch operating lever when moved to clutch engaging position and by the brake operating lever when moved from brake applying position, the first movement actuating the water discharge device and the second restoring it to non-acting position, a connection between said movable member and the water discharge actuating means whereby movement of the former operates the latter, and means for manually breaking said connection.

2. In apparatus of the character indicated in combination with means actuating a loading device and for returning the same to loading receiving position and means for discharging water into a mixing drum or the like, a clutch operating lever for the loading device operating mechanism and a brake operating lever for said device, means for actuating said water discharging means, communicating means between the first two instrumentalities and the third comprising a movable member in the path of said levers and adapted to be contacted by the clutch operating lever when moved to clutch engaging position and by the brake operating lever when moved from brake applying position, the first movement actuating the water discharge device and the second restoring it to non-acting position, a connection between said movable member and the water discharge actuating means whereby movement of the former operates the latter, means for manually breaking said connection and means for varying the extent of movement of said connection relative to one of the parts with which it is connected. A

3. In apparatus of the character described in combination with means actuating a loading device and for returning the same to load receiving position and means for discharging water into a mixing drum or the like, a clutch operating lever for the loading device operating mechanism and a brake operating lever for said device, means for actuating said water discharge means, communicating means between the first two instrumentalities and the third comprising a movable member in the path of said levers and adapted to be contacted by the clutch operating lever when moved to clutch engaging position and by the brake operating lever when moved from brake applying position, the first movement actuating the water discharge device and the second restoring it to non-acting position, a connection between said movable member and the water discharge actuating means whereby movement of the former operates the latter, means for manually breaking said connection and means for varying the contact point between one of said levers and said movable device.

4. In apparatus of the character described in combination with means actuating a loading device and for returning the same to load receiving position and means for discharging water into'a mixing drum or the like, a clutch operating lever for the loading device operating mechanism and a brake operating lever for said device, means for actuating said water discharge means, communicating means between the first two instrue mentalities and the third comprising a movable member in the path of said levers and adapted to be contacted by the clutch operating levers when moved to clutch engaging position and by the brake operating lever when moved from brake applying position, the first movement actuating the water discharge device and the second restoring it to non-acting position, a connection between said movable member and the water discharge actuating means whereby movement of the former operates the latter, means for manually breaking said connection and means for varying the contact point between said levers and said movable device.

5. In apparatus of the character indicated a combination with means actuating a loading device and for returning the same to load receiving position and means for discharging water into a mixing drum or the like, a clutch operating lever for the loading device operating mechanism and a brake operating lever for said device, means for actuating said water discharge means, communicating means between the first two instrumentalities and the third comprising a movable member in the path or" said levers and adapted to be contacted by the clutch operating lever when moved to clutch engaging position and by the brake operating lever when moved from brake applying position, the first movement actuating the water discharge device and the second restoring it to non-acting position, a connection between said movable member and the water discharge actuating means whereby movement of the former operates the latter, means for manually breaking said connection and means for varying the length of said connection.

6. In apparatus of the character indicated in combination with means actuating a loading device and for returning the same to load receiving position and means for discharging water into a mixing drum or the like, a clutch operating lever for the loading device operating mechanism and a brake operating lever for said device, means for actuating said water discharge means, communicating means between the first two instrumentalities and the third comprising a movable member in the path of said levers and adapted to be contacted by the clutch operating lever when moved to clutch engaging position and by the brake operating lever when moved from brake applying position, the first movement actuating the water discharge device and the second restoring it to non-acting position and causing actuation of water refilling means, a connection between said movable member and the water discharge actuating means whereby movement of the former operates the latter, and means for manually breaking said connection.

'7. In mechanism of the character described, means for instituting the operation of a loading device, means for controlling mechanism for retarding the movement of said device and means for causing the discharge of liquid from a container into a mixer and for causing the refilling of said container, a movable member adjacent the first and second means positioned to be en gaged and moved in one direction by the first means and engaged and moved in another direction by the second means, the first movement causing said discharge and the second causing whereby the said movements of the former re-- spectively cause the latter to bring about the said discharging and refilling operations without the assistance or intervention of the loading means.

8. In mechanism of the character described, means for instituting the operation of a loading device, means for controlling mechanism for retarding the movement of said device and means for causing the discharge of liquid from a container into a mixer and for causing the refilling of said container, amovable member adjacent the first and second means positioned to be engaged and moved in one direction by the first means and engaged and moved in another direction by the second means, the first movement causing said discharge and the second causing said refilling and a connection between said member and the discharging and refilling means whereby the said movements of the former respectively cause the latter to bring about the said discharging and refilling operations without the assistance or intervention of the loading means and means for varying the points of contact between said first two means and said movable member.

9. In mechanism of the character described, means for instituting the operation of a loading device, means for controlling mechanism for retarding the movement of said device and means for causing the discharge of liquid from a container into a mixer and for causing the refilling of said container, a movable member adjacent the first and second means positioned to be engaged and moved in one direction by the first means and engaged and moved in another direction by the second means, the first movement causing said discharge and the second causing said refilling and a connection between said member and the discharging and refilling means whereby the said movements of the former respectively cause the latter to bring about the said discharging and refilling operations without the assistance or intervention of the loading means and means for manually interrupting said connection.

10. In mechanism of the character described, means for instituting the operation of a loading device, means for controlling mechanism for retarding the movement of said device and means for causing the discharge of liquid from a container into a mixer and for causing the refilling of said container, a movable member adjacent the first and second means positioned to be engaged and moved in one direction by the first said refilling and a connection between said means and engaged and moved in another (11- rection by the second means, the first movement causing said discharge and the second causing said refilling and a connection between said member and the discharging and refilling means whereby the said movements of the former respectively cause the latter to bring about the said discharging and refilling operations Without the assistance or intervention of the loading means and means for varying the position of said connection with respect to the movable member and the last named means.

11. The combination with a lever for actuating operation of a loader for dry aggregates, a brake operating lever for controlling the non-loading movement of said loader and water supply control mechanism, of .meansfor automatically operating said controlling mechanism by the movement of said levers, comprising a movable member connected with the former having portions in the path of both levers whereby said member is moved in one direction by one of said levers and in another direction by the other to actuate the said water supply control mechanism, the portion in the path of the second named lever being spaced therefrom to permit normal operation thereof without such actuation.

12. The combination with a lever for actuating operation of a loader for dry aggregates, a brake operating lever for controlling the nonloading movement of said loader and water supply control mechanism, of means for automatically operating said controlling mechanism by the movement of said levers, comprising a movable member connected with the former having portions in the path of both levers whereby said member is moved in one direction by one of said levers and in another direction by the other to actuate the said water supply control mechanism, the portion in the path of the second named lever being spaced therefrom to permit normal operation thereof without such actuation and means for manually disconnecting said member from said control to permit independent manual operation of said control.

13. The combination with a lever for actuating operation of a loader for dry aggregates, a brake operating lever for controlling the non-loading movement of said loader and a water supply control mechanism, of means for automatically operating said controlling mechanism by the movement of said levers, comprising a movable member connected with the former having portions in the path of both levers whereby said member is moved in one direction by one of said levers and in another direction by the other to actuate the said water supply control mechanism, the portion in the path of the said levers being capable of being spaced therefrom to permit normal operation thereof without such actuation.

14. The combination with a lever for actuating operation of a loader, for dry aggregates, a brake operating lever for controlling the non-loading movement of said loader and water supply control mechanism, of means for automatically operating said controlling mechanism by the movement of said levers, comprising a movable member connected with the former having portions in the path of both levers whereby said member is moved in one direction by one of said levers and in another direction by the other to actuate the said water supply control mechanism, the portion in the path of the said levers being capable of being spaced therefrom to permit normal operation thereof without such actuation .and means for manually disconnecting said member from said control to permit independent manual operation of said control.

JOSEPH R. WILLIAMS. 

